Community Care, Global Impact: Florida's Cancer Research Revolution

FORT MYERS, FL – December 03, 2025 – This week, the world’s leading hematology experts are gathering in Orlando for the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, a pivotal event where the future of treatment for blood cancers and disorders is unveiled. Amid presentations from prestigious academic institutions and global pharmaceutical giants, a remarkable story of innovation is unfolding—one rooted not in a single ivory tower, but within community clinics across Florida.

Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute (FCS), a statewide network of oncology centers, announced that its physician-researchers have co-authored eleven studies selected for presentation at the highly competitive conference. This achievement is more than an academic honor; it represents a powerful new paradigm in medical research, one that is accelerating the delivery of next-generation therapies to the people who need them most.

"Our commitment to discovery has yielded significant milestones in advancing the next generation of therapies for blood cancers and other hematologic conditions," said FCS President & Managing Physician Lucio N. Gordan, MD. This commitment is demonstrating how a community-focused approach can have a profound global impact, fundamentally changing the timeline from lab discovery to patient recovery.

From Community Clinics to Global Breakthroughs

At the heart of this success story is a model that decentralizes advanced medical research. For more than 40 years, Florida Cancer Specialists has been building one of the nation's most extensive community-based oncology research programs. With 29 research locations, including three dedicated early-phase drug development units, FCS provides patients access to cutting-edge clinical trials without forcing them to travel hundreds of miles to a major academic medical center.

This proximity is transformative. It not only lessens the immense logistical and emotional burden on patients and their families but also fosters a more diverse and representative participant pool for clinical trials. The result is more robust, real-world data that helps ensure new drugs are safe and effective for a broader population. The success of this model is undeniable: the majority of new cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in recent years were evaluated in clinical trials involving FCS participation before they became widely available.

The eleven abstracts at this year's ASH meeting are a testament to the program's depth and influence. They cover a wide spectrum of hematologic malignancies and demonstrate a sustained contribution to the field, building on a history of shaping modern oncology.

The New Generation of Cancer Drugs: Pirtobrutinib and Revumenib

Two recent FDA approvals powerfully illustrate the real-world impact of FCS’s research engine. These are not incremental improvements but revolutionary therapies offering new hope to patients with few remaining options.

First is pirtobrutinib, a best-in-class targeted therapy now approved for several blood cancers, including mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). As the first next-generation BTK inhibitor, it offers a vital new line of defense for patients whose disease has progressed after treatment with previous inhibitors. FCS was one of the initial two sites in the world to open the Phase 1 trial for pirtobrutinib, playing a foundational role in its development. The ongoing research co-authored by FCS Director of Drug Development, Dr. Manish Patel, which follows patients for up to five years, continues to affirm the drug's durable effectiveness and manageable side effects, improving not just survival but also quality of life.

Perhaps even more dramatic is the story of revumenib, a first-in-class therapy for patients with aggressive, relapsed, or refractory acute leukemias characterized by specific genetic mutations. In 2019, the very first patient to receive this groundbreaking drug in a clinical trial was treated at an FCS drug development unit in Sarasota. This single event marked the beginning of a journey that culminated in FDA approval in 2024. For patients with these highly aggressive leukemias, revumenib has produced deep, durable remissions, effectively rescuing individuals from a dire prognosis. The journey of this drug from a first-in-human dose at a community clinic to a widely available treatment exemplifies the power of making research accessible.

Redefining Research: The Power of Community Access

The success of pirtobrutinib and revumenib is no accident; it is the direct result of a deliberate and innovative operational model. Through strategic partnerships with world-leading research organizations like Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) and the health technology company Paradigm Health, Inc., FCS has built an infrastructure that excels at both conducting trials and matching the right patients to them.

Annually, the organization launches over 110 new early-phase and 40 late-phase studies. This high volume of research activity provides a wealth of options for patients and their doctors, integrating the possibility of trial participation into the standard of care. By bringing trials into the community, FCS ensures that a patient's access to potentially life-saving innovation is not dictated by their zip code.

This model is a critical component of progress. It accelerates patient enrollment, which is often a major bottleneck in drug development, and delivers new therapies to the public faster. The impact extends beyond individual patients, creating a virtuous cycle where successful trials attract more research investment into the community, further expanding opportunities for future patients.

A Glimpse into the Future of Hematology

The research presented at ASH by FCS physicians provides a compelling preview of what lies ahead in the fight against blood cancers. The studies go far beyond the headline-grabbing drugs, exploring a wide range of challenges and opportunities in hematology.

Dr. Gustavo Fonseca’s work, for instance, delves into both the characteristics of a rare genetic platelet disorder and the efficacy of a new treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia. Dr. Shachar Peles is reporting on an interim study of a novel, fixed-duration therapy for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a treatment designed to be more tolerable for a vulnerable population. Other research focuses on practical, real-world issues, such as Dr. Jeffrey Bubis’s initiative to optimize the management of side effects from complex new antibody therapies in a community setting.

Further studies examine the nationwide impact of CAR-T therapy on leukemia mortality and long-term follow-up data on combination therapies for multiple myeloma. This diverse research portfolio demonstrates a holistic commitment to progress—developing new drugs, refining existing treatments, understanding population-level outcomes, and improving the day-to-day experience of patients undergoing care. It is this comprehensive vision, executed at the community level, that is helping to build a more equitable and hopeful future for people facing a cancer diagnosis.